Mining conveyor arrangement having raised dumper end



Feb. 6, 1968 w. RsLr-:R ET AL MINING CONVEYOR ARRANGEMENT HAVING RAISED DUMPER END Filed March 25, 1966 /AVAY v y/(AWK/ 5 sheets-sheer@ Wulff Rsler, Helmut Temme, Werner Georg Feb. 6, 1968 w RSLER ET AL. 3,367,717

MINING CONVEYOR ARRANGEMENT HAVING RAISED BUMPER END Filed March 25, 196e l 5 sheets-sheet 2 6 ,/NVE/vro/Qs Wulff Rsler, Helmut Iemm, Wernereurg Feb. 6, 1,968 w, RSLER ET AL 3,367,717-

MINING CONVEYOR ARRANGEMENT HAVING RAISED DUMPER ENDV Filed March 25, 196e s sheets-sheet 5 /NVENTORS WulffRsler, Helmut emme, Werner Georg United States Patent O 3,367,717 MllNlNG CNVEYOR ARRANGEMENT HAVING RAISED BUMPER END Wulff Rsler, Altlunen, Helmut Temme, Waltrop, and

Werner Georg, Altiunen, Germany, assignors to Gewerlreschatt Eisenhutte Westfalia, Wethmar near Lunen, Westfalia, Germany Filed Mar. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 539,256 Claims priority, application Germany, Mar. 27, 1965, G 43,202 13 Claims. (Cl. 299-34) The present invention relates to a mining conveyor arrangement having a raised dumper end, and more particularly to a longitudinally extending mining conveyor means situated on a mine floor and having mining machine elongated guide means provided therealong, and dumper end support means upon which an upwardly slanting end portion of such conveyor means is disposed and along which in a forwardly directed path a guide end portion of such guide means is disposed to permit material on the conveyor means to be raised to a dumper end for discharge thereat while also permitting a mining machine associated with the conveyor arrangement to be guided by the guide means in the forwardly directed path rather than in the upwardly slanting path of the conveyor means portion in the vicinity of the dumper end.

In the usual instance, where longwall mining operations are carried out, a mining machine, such as a planer or plow or other winning machine, is guided along a mining conveyor, such as a double-chain scraper conveyor, for example along one side of such conveyor, while being maintained in extractive engagement thereat. The mineral extracted by the mining machine is generally guided by the nature of the operation, and in particular by a suitably shaped deliecting surface on the mining machine, onto the conveyor for removal from the site of operations. However, at the dumper end of the conveyor, difiiculties exist with respect to the mounting of the mining machine since normally the conveyor dumper end must be raised to permit transfer of extracted mineral, such as coal, from the conveyor dumper end onto a further recovery system usually provided in the form of a gallery conveyor. The gallery conveyor is disposed suitably transversely to the longitudinal position of the mining conveyor so that material may pass from the dumper end of the mining conveyor downwardly onto the gallery conveyor.

The gallery conveyor is usually disposed along the mine Hoor in an expeditious manner, and because of the nature and construction of such a system, it is necessary to raise the dumper end of the mining conveyor suciently to permit discharge of the extracted mineral from the dumper end onto the top of the gallery conveyor.

As is known, in a typical mining operation, transverse parallel galleries may be provided on either end of the mine face or bank of coal to tbe worked, a drift or mineway extending longitudinally between the parallel galleries so that the mining conveyor and the mining machine carried therealong may be placed at the mine face. In this manner, the mining machine may be displaced longitudinally back and forth along the conveyor for extraction of mineral from the mine face, which is loaded onto the mining conveyor as aforesaid, with the mining conveyor arrangement, including the mining conveyor and mining machine, being advanced in increments in a given direction further toward the mine face as newly exposed layers of mineral occur. It will be appreciated by the artisan that the mining conveyor and mining machine should be maintained as closely as possible to the mine face being worked, and for this reason transversely disposed backing cylinders or reinforcement cylinders are often provided which are connected to the side of the 3,367,717 Patented Feb. 6, 1968 conveyor remote from the mine face being worked, whereby to force the mining conveyor constantly against the mine face under a predetermined urging force, so that as new layers of mineral are removed from the mine face, the mining conveyor will automatically be displaced transversely toward the new face thereat.

As this is accomplished, naturally the entire mining conveyor arrangement must be displaced] in the transverse direction, and at the ends of the mining conveyor, where normally the drive means for the mining conveyor and the drive means for displacing the mining machine via a drive cable means, back and forth along the mine face, are located, greater force is necessary because of the very heavy equipment disposed thereat. Also, a proper relationship between the dumper end of the mining conveyor and the gallery conveyor transversely extending in the vicinity thereof, must be maintained to assure that the mineral being dumped will fall onto the gallery conveyor.

Great diiculties occur with such arrangements, especially at the junction between the drift or mineway and the gallery, due to local conditions, such as rock formations, height of mine seams, etc., and because the mineral is usually conveyed by a mining conveyor disposed along the mine oor of the drift and the gallery conveyor is also disposed along the mine oor of the gallery, the transfer of mineral from the dumping end of the mining conveyor can only be attained eiiectively by raising the dumper end of the mining conveyor as aforesaid. However, in doing so, the mining machine guided along the conveyor must, therefore, be raised in its path at the dumper end as well, but this will cause the loss of the ability to extract mineral close to the mine floor near the dumper end and at the same time will exert excessive forces along the raised guide portion for the mining machine at the dumper end of the mining conveyor arrangement.

it is desirable to provide the mining conveyor and the gallery conveyor at the same height or level and to provide a junction between the drift and gallery by a raised mining conveyor dumper end, due to the fact that present day mining operations concern to a greater extent the extraction of mineral from thick seams, ie., seams of unusual height. In such instances it is desirable to provide the loading gallery transversely disposed on either side of the coal bank being worked through the coal itself rather than through rock or the like. This is true since the increased height of the mine seams in question permit the gallery to be fashioned in the coal area with a minimum of trouble, so that the gallery need not be of larger dimensions or even of as large dimensions as heretofore contemplated.

It is known that where a loading gallery is provided in the coal bank itself, as aforesaid, it is necessary, to achieve the proper cross-section for ventilation due to the dust raised during the mining operations, etc., to make such gallery correspondingly wider than usual. This in turn creates the possibility of dispensing with the provsion for a separate machinery stall in the side of the coal bank, or the like, since the wider gallery already dug from the coal bank is wide enough to accommodate the driving machinery for the mining conveyor and mining macnine and still leave a gangway for the workmen. Therefore, when the loading gallery is provided in the coal bank and is correspondingly wider than usual for ventilation purposes, it is possible to omit a separate machinery stall and use a portion of the gallery itself for this purpose. However, as aforesaid, to achieve the height required for dumping the extracted mineral onto the gallery conveyor, it is still necessary to tilt or upwardly slant the longwall mining conveyor a given amount. Since the mining machine is carried generally on the longwall mining conveyor, the upwardly slanted portion of such conveyor has to be restricted to a distinctly short section in the vicinity of the dumper end thereof, i.e., at the conveyor drum for driving the conveyor Chains at such dumper end, because the mining machine can only run efciently along that portion of the longwall mining conveyor that is disposed along the mine floor. By tilting the mining conveyor upwardly over as short a distance as possible, disadvantageously high friction and wear occur, especially on the upper ends of the mining conveyor. Furthermore, a disadvantage of such constructions is the extremely heavy fouling with coal dust of the return flight of the mining conveyor at the dumper drum end, due to the inaccessibility of this portion of the arrangement for servicing and cleaning. A further loss of power for the mining conveyor arrangement results from this cause as well.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing drawbacks and to provide a mining conveyor arrangement which permits the dumper end of the mining conveyor means to be upwardly slanted to a -raised point at which mineral thereon may be transferred to a gallery conveyor, with the slope of incline being distinctly more gradual than heretofore yet without excessive friction and wear and tear on the parts involved, by reason of the provision for a separate path of travel of the mining machine along the mine face at the area of incline of the mining conveyor means associated therewith.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a mining conveyor arrangement of the foregoing type in which the mining conveyor means is provided with guide means thereon for guiding a mining machine back and forth along the mine face, with the dumper end portion of the mining conveyor means extending to a raised dumper end along a gradual path of incline, and with the guide means for the mining machine extending forwardly without any substantial incline in its path, whereby to permit extraction of mineral efficiently to a point much closed to the dumper end of the mining conveyor.

it is still another object of the present invention to achieve the foregoing extraction of mineral by -a mining machine efliciently at a point close to the dumper end of the mining conveyor means, with a construction representing a simple and readily provided modification of existing equipment, with the relationship of parts being significant, and with the resulting arrangement being more durable than heretofore and usable with reduced friction and with reduced power loss as compared with arrangements of the same general type heretofore known.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a mining conveyor arrangement in which the mining conveyor means and mining machine guide means are disposed along separate and independent paths at least in the area of the raised dumper end of the mining conveyor means so that more gradual upward slope of the mining conveyor means to the dumper end may be enjoyed due to the independent disposition of the path thereof with respect to the mining machine path, with concomitant considerable reduction in wear and tear losses in operating the equipment.

Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparaent from a study of the within specification and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG, l illustrates a schematic side elevation of the mining conveyor arrangement in accordance with one ernbodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the arrangement of FIG. 1 at the dumper end portion thereof;

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the arrangement of FIG. l, illustrating the relationship between the longwall mining conveyor, the transverse gallery conveyor, and the mine face being worked in the vicinity of the raised dumper end portion of the mining conveyor; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of a similar mining conveyor arrangement in accordance with a further modification of the present invention.

It has been found in accordance with the present invention that a mining conveyor arrangement may now be provided which comprises longitudinally extending mining conveyor means situated at a lower level, mining machine elongated guide means provided along said conveyor means, and dumper end support means having a lower poltion at said lower level and an upper portion at a corresponding upper level vertically spaced from said lower level, said conveyor means having an upwardly slanting dumper end portion extending therefrom at said lower level to the upper portion of said dumper end support means at said upper level whereby to dump thereat conveyed material from said dumper end portion, and said guide means having a forwardly directed guide end portion extending therefrom separately from said upwardly slanting dumper end portion and along said lower level to the lower portion of said dumper end support means.

Preferably, such guide means is in the form of a channel housing disposed adjacent one lateral side of said conveyor means and adapted to receive displaceably supportingly therein a corresponding guide lug of a mining machine with which said channel housing is adapted to be operatively associated for guiding such mining machine therealong. Also, the conveyor drive means operatively positioned for driving the mining conveyor means may be mounted at said upper level on the upper portion of the dumper end support means, and mining machine drive means operatively positioned for driving the mining machine, i.e., via a drive cable means with which the arrangement is adapted to be associated, may be mounted at said lower level on the lower portion of said `dumper end support means. Conveniently, the conveyor drive means are mounted on said dumper end support means at least in part substantially directly over sad mining `machine drive lmeans.

In accordance with a particular feature of the present invention, an auxiliary conveyor is disposed at said lower level along one side of the upwardly slanting dumper end portion, said auxiliary conveyor being provided with a ramp skirt along the side thereof remote from said upwardly slanting dumper end portion and said skirt being outwardly and downwardly directed to form a scoop shovel for loading material thereat transversely to the auxiliary conveyor upon the displacement of the auxiliary conveyor in the corresponding transverse direction.

To recover mineral dust which might otherwise foul the underside of the raised dumper end of the mining conveyor means, a deector guide is conveniently disposed below the underside of such upwardly slanting dumpe-r end portion. The deflector guide is inclined downwardly to the upper side of the auxiliary conveyor and thus may catch and recover stray mineral falling at that point, such material being deflected onto the auxiliary conveyor to increase the recovery of mineral in the overall mining operation.

As an added feature of the present invention, the dumper end support means may be provided with roofsupporting and arrangement-anchoring pit prop means which may be in the form of a displaceable advancement frame attached to the dumper end support means for relative transverse displacement with respect to one another whereby to move the dumper end support means and in turn the upwardly slanting dumper end portion in the desired transverse direction of advance. Preferably, the auxiliary conveyor is connected to the dumper end support means so that the same may be moved together therewith in the desired direction of advance whereupon the scoop shovel will force mineral in front of the auxiliary conveyor onto such auxiliary conveyor. Advantageously, such auxiliary conveyor may be provided in a slightly inclined disposition in the same direction of slant as the upwardly slanting dumper end portion whereupon the auxiliary conveyor may dump mineral carried thereby onto the gallery conveyor. Furthermore, the channel housing for the mining machine may also be disopsed on the lateral side of the conveyor means adjacent to the auxiliary conveyor whereby the same may extend along the lower level in a similarly slightly inclined disposition corresponding to that of the channel housing, so that the mining machine may pass as close as possible to the dumper end of the mining conveyor means for extracting eiciently mineral from the mine face as close as possible to the gallery.

Advantageously, with an arrangement of the type contemplated herein, the entire mine bank defined between the two transverse galleries will be eiectively extracted in the manner of the present invention and the entirety of the mineral particles therefrom will be conducted onto the mining conveyor means or the adjacent auxiliary conveyor, without substantial loss of mineral or undue production of unusable dust or lines, in a particularly advantageous manner because of a more gradual slope of the raised dumper end permitted, due to the independent disposition of the guide means of such mining machine at such dumper end and the ability of such mining machine to travel practically to the ends of the min ing conveyor means in question.

Referring to the drawings, in FIG. 1 a longwall mining conveyor 1 is shown having an upwardly slanting dumper end portion adjacent the gallery conveyor 27 which is provided with a pronouncedly gradual incline or upward slope. The longwall mining conveyor consists of interconnected conveyor sections in the Conventional manner, such as a construction in which a pair of side walls is interconnected by a central trough plate and parallel scraper chains are provided at the side walls carrying longitudinally spaced the-realong transverse scraper bars or scraper ights to convey mineral deposited on the conveyor to the dumper end 26 for discharge onto the gallery conveyor 27.

In U.S. Patents 2,691,514; 2,810,565; 2,990,168; 3,033,542; 2,965,217; 3,072,241; and 3,113,661, various arrangements are shown for drive means for driving a mining conveyor, drive means for driving a mining machine along such conveyor, and frame support means for displacing such conveyor in a desired manner at the end portions thereof. However, none of the prior art constructions has appreciated the manner of resolving the problem of providing a raised dumper end of the mining conveyor while at the same time permitting the path of travel of the mining machine to extend in a different direction whereby to extract mineral from the adjacent face to a point extremely close to the actual dumper end in question.

Thus, in FIG. l, the longwall mining conveyor 1 is provided -with an elevated or gradually upwardly inclined end portion 2, composed of the slanted sections 3, 4, 5 and 6, which extends to the drive mounting frame 11 and terminates at the dumper end 26 where the conveyor drive drum 25 is situated. Retaining plates 7 are disposed along the course of the conveyor 1 to prevent overiiow of mineral laterally therefrom, whereby the capacity of the conveyor is increased signicantly. The drive mounting trame 11 is provided with a forward ramp 8 onto which the yorwardmost slanted section 6 is extended. Support legs 9 are provided along the undersides of certain of the slanted sections while support Walls 18, 19 and are provided along other slanted sections, whereby a sturdy mounting of the elevated end portion 2 of conveyor 1 will be achieved. A conveyor drive 10 is disposed at an upper level on the frame 11 for driving the drum which causes the displacement of the scraper chain mechanism of conveyor 1 in the conventional manner. A mining machine drive 12 is disposed at a lower level on frame 11 for driving the sprocket wheel 13 situated operatively thereat, which in turn carries the end loop of the drive cable means or drive chain 14 for the mining machine in the conventional manner. Nevertheless, by Ireason of the elevated end portion 2 of conveyor 1 and the .provision for frame 11 having a lower portion at a lower level and an upper portion at an upper level, the conveyor drive 10 may be mounted more or less vertically above the mining machine drive 12, preferably more or less directly one above the other so that space at the gallery end of the conveyor 1 may be conserved, especially considering that in present day mining operations, seams being extracted possess extraordinary height, lending themselves to accommodation of mining machine equipment of correspondingly increased height, i.e., where mineways and galleries are driven or dug through such mine seams.

Apart from the elevated end portion 2 of the mining conveyor 1 and its gradual path of incline, a guide means for the mining machine used with the conveyor arrangement is provided along one side of the conveyor 1. Thus, the mining machine guide and/ or chain cover 17 is provided as -well as the slightly inclined mining machine guides 15 and 16. `Guides 15 and 16 are mounted suitably on walls 18, 19 and 20, while guides 17 are mounted suitably on support legs 9.

Frame 11, including forward ramp 8,. is mounted via the front skid 21 and the rear skid 22 on the mine lloor, so as to permit transverse displacement of the mining conveyor arrangement in increments toward newly disposed layers of the mineral at the mine face being worked. An anchoring prop is shown schematically at 23 and it will be appreciated that in accordance with prior art constructions, guiding and anchoring frames may be provided in this regard to displace the conveyor transversely and/ or for certain adjustments longitudinally (see especially US. Patents 2,990,168, 3,072,241 and 3,113,661, aforementioned). Because such details are conventional, they are not illustrated specically in the instant drawings.

By reason of the very slight incline of the guides 15 and 16, the mining machine being guided thereby will only be raised slightly from the mine floor in the vicinity of the dumper end 26 of the mining conveyor and, therefore, the mining machine may be displaced in the longitudinal direction up to guide 15 while extracting mineral to this longitudinal extent and with little or no loss of mineral at the mine tloor, as was true in the past where the mining machine had to pass along a higher slope of incline even greater than the slope of incline of the elevated end portion 2 herein. Of course, the guides 15, 16 and 17 enclose as well protectingly the guide chain 14 and at the position of the elevated end portion 2 with the main portion of the conveyor, the guides 17 carrying drive chain 14 become attached to the conveyor 1 along a common longitudinal path.

Thus, mineral reaching the dumper end 26 of the raised conveyor end portion 2 will be discharged over drum 25 onto the gallery conveyor 27. To assure proper conservation of the discharged mineral at the juncture between the longwall conveyor 1 and the gallery conveyor 27, an apron 28 downwardly inclined from the end of dumper 26 is provided, and concurrently a spill plate 29 on the adjacent side wall of the gallery conveyorl 27 as well, in conjunction with bounce plate 30 on the remote side of gallery conveyor 27. In this manner, all mineral discharged from conveyor 1 will be guided directly or indirectly via the apron 28, spill plate 29 and bounce plate 30 onto gallery conveyor 27. In the same way, the provision for the parallel retaining plates 7 along the elevated end portion 2 together with the provision for the parallel retaining plates 24 at the dumper end 26 assures thatl no mineral being conveyed will be lost along such pat It will be realized that the guides 15, 16 and 17 may be used with a mining machine such as a mining planer of the rearwardly extending keel type orl with a mining planer not having such keel, depending upon the manner of attachment to the mining machine of chain 14. In this connection, as will be appreciated from U.S. Patents 2,691,514; 2,791,411; 2,795,407; 2,810,565; 2,823,908; 2,990,168; 3,030,087; 3,033,542; 3,164,412, and the like, mining machines, and especially mining planers, may be guided along the side of a conveyor adjacent the mine face, utilizing a drive chain therefor which is connected with the planer either at such side adjacent the mine face or at the side of the conveyor remote from the mine face, using a keel connection in the latter instance in conjunction with guide means.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, where the mounting walls 18, 19 and 20 and/or the support legs 9 are provided at the side of the conveyor 1 where the planer or other mining machine is situated, of course as the artisan will appreciate, no keel arrangement will be used vbut instead the mining planer will be suitably mounted on the particular guide 15, 16 or 17, as the case may be, such as for example by utilizing an arrangement such as is provided in copending U.S. applications Serial No. 252,528, tiled January 18, 1963 and now abandoned, and Serial No. 300,285, tiled August 6, 1963 and now Patent No. 3,305,269. However, where there is sufcient clearance at the underside of the elevated end portion 2 of conveyor 1, an arrangement having a keel of the type contemplated by U.S. Patent 2,823,908 and/or U.S. Patent 3,164,412, or the like, may be used.

In the latter instance, the guides 15, 16 and 17 will house not only the chain 14 but also the lug connection to the keel or other rearwardly extending means connected to the chain 14 for displacement longitudinally along such guides 15, 16 and 17, and in turn for displacement of the planer at the opposite side of the conveyor, i.e., such that the planer is in operative engagement with the mine face thereat.

In the former instance, the guides 15, 16 and 17 will be disposed on the side of conveyor 1 adjacent the mine face such that a suitable lug connection of the planer will be attached to the chain 14 and thus be guided by the guides 15, 16 and 17 whereby to drive in turn the planer longitudinally along conveyor 1 in extractive engagement with the rnine face.

In either instance, because of the urgence of the conveyor against the mine face, for example by reason of advancing piston-cylinder means or other urging means of the type disclosed in U.S. Patents 2,691,514; 2,745,651 and 2,990,168, and the like, the planer will be prevented from rearwardly tilting away from such mine face and will also be prevented from deviation out of its longitudinal path, e.g. with respect to the horizontal. Also, because of such urgence of the conveyor against the mine face, the planer in question, or other mining machine, will be maintained in the desired extractive engagement with the mine face in any longitudinal position thereof with respect to conveyor 1. Although a slight upward incline of the path of the mining machine will take place with respect to the guidance of the mining machine at the elevated end portion 2 of the conveyor and, more particularly, along guides and 16, it will be realized that in this portion of the path of travel of the particular mining machine, only slight frictional and stress forces will be exerted on the adjacent parts, due to the extremely gradual upward slope of guides 15 and 16 and the comparatively short longitudinal distance thereof as compared with the remaining guides 17, even in that portion of the longitudinal path adjacent the elevated end portion 2 of the conveyor 1.

Thus, advantageously, in accordance with the present invention the conveyor 1 may be elevated at the end portion thereof to permit the dumping of extracted mineral from the conveyor onto a gallery conveyor transversely disposed with respect thereto, yet the mining machine may travel the same portion of the longitudinal distance at a lower level with respect to the inclined path of conveyor 1. Not only may conveyor 1 be provided with an upwardly extending end portion which is more gradual in its slope than heretofore, but the guide means for the mining machine, such as a planer, will be independently disposed more or less along the mine floor even in that area where the conveyor is raised to the dumper end 26 and any concomitant incline of the mining machine path will be extremely slight, as shown with reference to guides 15 and 16.

In FIG. 2, the front end of the longitudinal conveyor 1 is shown, which is provided with parallel retaining walls 24 similar in form to retaining walls or plates 7 along the remainder of conveyor 1. Thus, the extracted mineral on on the conveyor will be discharged over drum 25 onto the gallery conveyor extending transversely therebelow. The drive means 10 are provided on either side of drum 25 to contribute the necessary driving force for operating conveyor 1, drive means 10 being disposed at the dumper end 26 at an upper level with respect to the mining machine drive means 12 (shown in phantom) for the sprocket wheel 13 disposed at the lower portion of such frame on only one side thereof. Both such driving means extend laterally, i.e., transversely, a significant distance, yet neither occupies much space in the longitudinal direction especially near the mine face being worked.

In FIGURE 2, the apron 28 is omitted for clarity of illustration, and the same is true regarding spill plate 29. Instead, an angle chute 32 is shown extending along the underside of the dumper end 26 of the conveyor 1 to permit any mineral which has not been dumped immediately onto gallery conveyor 27 to be recovered for passing to the longitudinallly disposed auxiliary conveyor 31 adjacent one side of the longwall mining conveyor 1. It will be appreciated that certain particles of mineral will still adhere to the conveyor means after reaching drum 25, and such particles will randomly fall during passage along the immediate return portion of the conveyor at the underside of dumper end 26. While heretofore such particles would eventually give rise to unevenness in the mine floor, loss of valuable mineral thereat, obstruction of working parts by their very presence, etc., by reason of the angle chute 32 such mineral particles are suitably recovered and guided onto auxiliary conveyor 31 which in turn feeds such particles onto gallery conveyor 27 at a point much lower than the dumper end 26 yet also immediately adjacent gallery conveyor 27. Bounce plate 30 is shown as well, and it will be realized that because of the nature of the juncture between the longwall conveyor 1 and the gallery 27, mineral deposited upon gallery conveyor 27 may tend to occupy the remote side of such gallery conveyor with respect to the dumper end 26 of the longwall conveyor 1. Therefore, the bounce plate 30 serves a convenient purpose and prevents loss of mineral by overshooting the gallery conveyor at this point.

From FIG. 2 and more especially from FIG. 3, which shows more clearly the longitudinal and transverse disposition of the longwall conveyor 1 and the gallery conveyor 27 as well as auxiliary conveyor 31, it wi'l be seen that the transversely extending drive means 10 and 12 occupy a greater height than any conventional mounting arrangements, and also occupy a significant transverse portion of the gallery, yet because of the disposition of drive means 10 more or less over drive means 12, the width of the gallery containing gallery conveyor 27 is not sig nificantly decreased.

With respect to FIG. 3, the relationship of the guides 15, 16 and 17 and the separate slanting conveyor sections 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the elevated end portion 2 of conveyor 1, is shown, and with respect to one embodiment of a mining machine mounting arrangement, a typical disposition of a mining machine is also shown, partially in phantorn.

Hence, in FIG. 3, the loading surface or plow surface of the planer 33 is shown on one side of the longwall conveyor 1 which is adjacent the mine face 33' thereat. The planer 33 is slightly raised from the mine tioor in the position shown, as may be appreciated more fully from a consideration of FIG. 1. Nevertheless, because of the connecting lug 34 at the transversely rearward end of the keel 34 (shown in phantom) underlying conveyor 1, which lug is suitaply guided within the guides 15, 16 and 17, the planer 33 may be raised with a minimum of friction and adverse stresses upon the supporting parts. This permits the planer to approach closely the end of the mine face 33 being worked, and the gallery defined by the adjacent portion of such mine face and the remote wall of the mine bank adjacent gallery conveyor 27 provide a fairly wide gallery area which is able to accommodate suiciently the drive means and 12 as well as the raised height of the end portion 2 of conveyor 1, without the need for a separate machine stall for the drive means yet with allowances for suflicient ventilation for the operating parts, considering the problems of dust formation which arise.

The conveyor 1 is meant to be advanced in increments toward the left as viewed in FIG. 3, as newly exposed layers of mineral occur at mine face 33. The planer 33 extends only as far as the planer stop 35 at the end of auxiliary conveyor 31 remote from gallery conveyor 27, and this is to protect the auxiliary conveyor idle drum 36 from damage which might otherwise be caused by contact with planer 33. An ascending ramp skirt or scoop shovel 37 is provided alongside auxiliary conveyor 31 which extends from the upper side of auxiliary conveyor 31 outwardly and downwardly to the mine floor thereat. As the conveyor 1 is advanced in the desired transverse direction toward the left, as viewed in FIG. 3, the ramp skirt will contact any loose mineral on the mine floor before the same and force such mineral upwardly onto auxiliary conveyor 31. In this way, any loose mineral otherwise lost will be recovered.

The arrangement of drive means 111 and 12, sprocket wheel 13, drive chain 14, dumper end 26, drum 25, apron 28, spill plate 29, bounce plate 30, etc., with respect to one another, may be appreciated from FIG. 3. Frame 11 is disposed with respect to auxiliary conveyor 31 suiciently to permit the angle chute 32 (see FIG. 2) to extend downwardly to the top of auxiliary conveyor 31 to return thereto mineral which may adhere to the conveyor means at the dumper end 26 during the initial por tion of the return course to the other longitudinal end of longwall conveyor 1. Pit props 23 of conventional design may be provided to anchor frame 11 in the mine drift at the gallery and/ or to permit suitable transverse displacement of the frame 11 in the desired transverse direction upon suitable actuation. While the particular construction of the prop frame containing pit props 23 is not shown, the construction in question is conventional, and may be provided in accordance with the various features disclosed in aforesaid U.S. Patents 2,990,168; 3,072,241 and 3,113,661.

It will be realized from the relationships of planer 33 and the elevated end portion 2 as well as guide means 15, 16 and 17 and auxiliary conveyor 31, that while the mineral will be upwardly raised to the dumper end 26 on frame 11, planer 33 may be displaced closer to the mine floor yet in extractive engagement with the mine face along a lower path of travel with little or no slope, and that mineral portion being extracted adjacent the upwardly slanting end portion 2 of conveyor 1 will be suitably forced in the forward direction onto the auxiliary conveyor 31 at the idle drum 36 thereof, since in this portion of the longitudinal area of the mine face, the conveyor is elevated to a height suiciently above planer 33 to prevent meaningful conveying of extracted mineral thereinto by the planer itself as is possible during the normal planer operation along the conveyor 1 in the central portion thereof close to the mine door.

In connection with the alternate modification embodiment of FIG. 4, the elevated end portion 38` of the longwall mining conveyor 1 is provided with a guide 39 similar to guides 15, 16 and 17 whereby to house the drive chain 40 driven by sprocket wheel 41, which is operatively connected in turn with planer drive means 42, yet the guide 39 is able as well to accommodate a lug extending from a keel of a planer mounted for longitudinal displacement on the opposite side of the conveyor from that at which the guide 39 is disposed, similar to the arrangement contemplated in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the drive means 47 for the conveyor is disposed above the drive means 42 for the planer, yet but one drive means 47 is provided as compared with a pair of drive means 10 for the conveyor as contemplated in FIG. 3. The discharge end or dumper end 46 of the conveyor, mounted on the frame 43 similar to the type shown in FIG. 3, causes mineral to be discharged over the conveyor drum 45 onto the gallery conveyor 57. An auxiliary conveyor 52 having a ramp skirt 55 is similarly provided in this embodiment as Awell as an angle chute 54 analogous to angle chute 32 shown in FIG. 2. The drive S3 is provided for the auxiliary conveyor 52, a similar rive means being contemplated in the embodiment of FIG. 3. The main difference between the modification of FIG. 4 and the embodiment of FIG. 3 is that a pair of props 48 connected via a prop frame skid 49 is utilized having parts 50 and 51 mounted thereon for relative transverse displacement with respect to one another. In this manner, the frame 43 carried in part by forward skid 44 and connected to part 51 in turn mounted on skid 49 may be displaced in thc direction of arrow 56 while part 50 remains stationary. Thereafter part 50 may be displaced in the desired direction, perhaps together with skid 49 containing props 48, to a starting position :from which part 51 may be further displaced if desired. The particular prop frame arrangements permitting such transverse displacement of a longwall mining conveyor, and for that matter adjustments in longitudinal direction thereof, may take the form of any of those disclosed in the aforementioned patents.

It will be appreciated that the general purpose of the guides for the mining machine connecting lug is to prevent the mining machine, such as a planer, from deviating laterally from the longitudinal direction of displacement thereof, and especially from working itself into the mine floor without the efcient extraction of mineral thereat. A connecting arrangement may be utilized by providing a lug means in the form of a projection extending outwardly over the top edge of the particular guide, for example at the side remote from the mine face, whereby to prevent downward deviation of the planer or other mining machine into the mine floor.

Advantageously, in accordance with the present invention the provision for a separate path for the guide used in connection with the mining machine from that for raising the mineral to a point where the same may be deposited onto a gallery conveyor results in the avoidance of great wear and friction which would -otherwise occur at this juncture using conventional constructions. As a consequence, the mining machine may approach the drive means and sprocket wheel thereof very closely with the eflicient extraction of mineral to this point and with any upward slope of the conveyor path immediately thereat being so gradual as to being inconsequential insofar as friction and wear are concerned. Naturally, where auxiliary retaining plates are provided along the conveyor sides, and especially in that portion where the path of the conveyor begins its upward slope while the path of the guides of the planer continues along a lower level adjacent the mine floor, it is necessary to design the retaining plates of the conveyor such that the guides for the planer and especially the manner of mounting the connecting lug on such guides are not obstructed by such retaining plates.

A further advantage of the invention is that in the elevated end portion of the longwall mining conveyor,

the drives for the conveyor and mining machine may be disposed one above the other with a substantial saving in floor space than heretofore with conventional drive stations or machine stalls. This is of particular importance due to the fact that, especially where longwall conveyors are concerned, the drive means provided for the conveyor and the separate drive means provided for the planer are of extraordinarily large size to begin with and normally require a signicantly large amount of space.

By reason of the auxiliary conveyor, the additional winning of mineral, such as coal, may be attained even along that portion of the mine face adjacent the upwardly slanted conveyor end but only a small amount of power is required to drive such auxiliary conveyor yet the added mineral will increase the efficiency of the over-all mining operation. The provision for an angle chute (of the type shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) will lead to the recovery of otherwise lost mineral and will avoid possible obstructions and fouling of the working parts due to the undesired accumulation of such mineral at the underside of frame 11.

In connection with the use of a prop frame or anchoring frame, as contemplated in the embodiment of FIG. 4 for example, the props serve not only to anchor the drive station, i.e., the machine frame carrying the dumper end of the conveyor, but also to reinforce the timbering or other prop supporting equipment installed along the gallery being worked. Thus, the very fact that props have to be removed when the drive station, i.e. the portion of the assembly including frame 11 and the drive means, is advanced, and have to be reinstalled after such drive station has passed, renders the roof thereat perilously free from support. Advantageously, the prop frame at the particular dumper end in accordance with the present invention permits a temporary replacement of the usual supporting props, rendering the area safer for the workmen and at the same time providing7 sucient anchorage against undesired displacement of the conveyor means at the dumper end area.

The use of the auxiliary conveyor of extra low design close to the mine oor alongside the extending portion of mining conveyor 1 permits a very simple device to be utilized for the prevention of the accumulation under the longwall conveyor of any line coal not properly d'umped onto the gallery conveyor as aforesaid. By reason of the extra low design of the Aauxiliary conveyor and the closeness of the planer guides to the mine oor, the planer will be able to approach closely the appropriate end of the auxiliary conveyor and push extracted mineral thereonto with marked eiciency and with comparative freedom from friction and power losses which might otherwise occur with conventional arrangements.

As the artisan will appreciate, the drive means for the mining machine may be mounted on either side of the longwall conveyor, depending upon which side of such conveyor the drive chain is to be located and in turn the manner of att-achment of the drive chain to the planer or other mining machine. Thus, while in the embodiment shown, for example as may be appreciated in FIG. 3, the drive chain is disposed along the side of the conveyor remote from the mine face along the guides 15, 16 and 17, in the case where the chain is attached to the planer or other mining machine on the conveyor side adjacent the mine face, then the guides 15, 16 and 17 will be mounted thereat, i.e., on the side opposite that side shown in FIG. 3.

`It will be appreciated that the arrangements in accordance with the present invention readily adapt to unevenness in the mine oor as well as deviations in the normal horizontal direction as in the case of steep and semi-steep beddings Also, guide means may be provided on both sides of the conveyor, for versatile use in connection with mining machines adapted to be connected to the drive chain adjacent the side of the mine face or at the remote side.

Because of the nature of the elevated dumper end of the conveyor and the use of the gallery itself as a machine stall and the possibi-lity of mounting the drive means for the conveyor and mining machine more or less one above the other, and because of the unusual size of the drive means contemplated in longwall mining operations, a considerable reduction in the normal space requirement is achieved, which is of particular importance when considering the need for timbering the machine area, i.e., supporting the mine roof in the gallery portion defining the machine stall. Because of the comparatively small area utilized, the amount of timbering which must be temporarily installed and removed is likewise diminished during the operation of the equipment. The use of a mining prop frame together with a machine frame as a ramp upon which the dumper end of the longwall conveyor is situated in accordance with the present invention, thus permits suitable anchoring of the arrangement and at the same time temporary support for the mine roof. Considering that in the usual instance the timbering or other prop means in the gallery is utilized in combination with elongated roof caps, such caps may be maintained in place where the normal timbering is removed by reason of the prop frame which is displaced together with the machine frame at the dumper end in question. Once the machine frame and prop frame have travelled therepast along the gallery, the normal propping means may be inserted once again under the roof caps to provide the normal support required thereat.

In view of the foregoing, the versatile arrangement of the present invention permits equipment designs to be utilized whereby the entire system will avoid the oversized bulky parts heretofore found necessary, and constructions will be able to be attained in accordance with genuine mechanical engineering principles with a minimum of restrictions regarding desirable features thereof.

It will be appreciated that the instant specification and drawings are set forth by way of illustration and not limitation, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention which is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Mining conveyor arrangement which comprises longitudinally extending mining conveyor means situated at a lower level, mining machine elongated guide means provided along said conveyor means, and dumper end support means having a lower portion at said lower level and an upper portion at a corresponding upper level vertically spaced from said lower level, said conveyor means having an upwardly slanting dumper end portion extending therefrom at said lower level to the upper portion of said dumper end support means at said upper level whereby to dump thereat conveyed material from said dumper end portion, and said guide means having a forwardly directed guide end portion extending therefrom separately from said upwardly slanting dumper end portion and along said lower level to the lower portion of said dumper end support means,

2. Arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said guide means is in the form of a channel housing disposed adjacent one lateral side of said conveyor means and adapted to receive displaceably supportingly therein a corresponding guide lug of a mining machine with which said channel housing is adapted to be operatively associated for guiding such mining machine therealong.

3. Arrangement according to claim 2 wherein conveyor drive means operatively positioned for driving said conveyor means are mounted at said upper level on the upper portion of said dumper end support means, and mining machine drive means operatively positioned for driving such mining machine, via a drive cable means with which the arrangement is adapted to be associated, `are mounted at said lower level on the lower portion of said dumper end support means.

4. Arrangement according to claim 3 wherein said conveyor drive means are mounted on said dumper end sup port means at least in part substantially directly over said mining machine drive means.

5. Arrangement according to claim 3 wherein said dumper end support means is in the form of an ascending ramp on which the dumper end portion of said conveyor means is supported.

6. Arrangement according to claim 2 wherein an auxi1- iary conveyor is disposed at said lower level along one side of said upwardly slanting dumper end portion.

7. Arrangement according to claim 6 wherein said auxiliary conveyor is provided with a ramp skirt, along the side thereof remote from said upwardly slanting dumper end portion, said skirt being outwardly yand downwardly directed to form a scoop shovel for loading material thereat transversely onto said auxiliary conveyor upon displacement of said auxiliary conveyor in the corresponding transverse direction.

S. Arrangement according to claim 7 wherein a deector guide is disposed below the underside of said upwardly slanting dumper end portion and inclined downwardly therefrom to the upperside of said auxiliary conveyor to catch stray material falling thereat and deilect such material onto said auxiliary conveyor.

9. Arrangement according to claim 7 wherein said dumper end support means is provided with roof-supporting and arrangement-anchoring pit prop means.

10. Arrangement according to claim 9 wherein said pit prop means are provided in the form of a displaceable advancement frame attached to said dumper end support means for relative transverse displacement with respect to one another to move said dumper end support means and in turn said upwardly slanting dumper end portion in the desired transverse direction of advance.

11. Arrangement according to claim 1]A wherein said auxiliary conveyor is connected to said dumper end support means for movement together therewith in the desired direction of advance such that said scoop shovel will force material therebefore onto said auxiliary conveyor.

12. Arrangement according to claim 11 wherein said auxiliary conveyor is disposed alongside said upwardly slanting dumper end portion in a slightly inclined disposition in the corresponding direction of slant as said up wardly slanting dumper end portion, and said channel housing is disposed on the lateral side of said conveyor means adjacent said auxiliary conveyor and extending along said lower level in a slightly inclined disposition corresponding to the inclined disposition of said channel housing.

13. Arrangement according to claim 12 wherein said upwardly slanting dumper end portion is provided with lateral retaining walls upwardly extending therefrom to prevent undesired overflow of material disposed on said conveyor means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,810,564 10/ 1957 Zeegers 299-34 2,990,168 6/ 1961 Meininghaus 299-34 FOREIGN PATENTS 735 ,2 l 6 5 1943 Germany. 648,353 1/1951 Great Britain.

ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,367,717 February 6, 1968 Wulff Rsler et al.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

In the heading to the printed specification, lines S and 6, for "Gewerkeschaft" read Gewerkschaft column S,

line 4, for "disopsed" read disposed Signed and sealed this 22nd day of April 1969.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD I. BRENNER Edward M. Fletcher, J r.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

1. MINING CONVEYOR ARRANGEMENT WHICH COMPRISES LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING MINING CONVEYOR MEANS SITUATED AT A LOWER LEVEL, MINING MACHINE ELONGATED GUIDE MEANS PROVIDED ALONG SAID CONVEYOR MEANS, AND DUMPER END SUPPORT MEANS HAVING A LOWER PORTION AT SAID LOWER LEVEL AND AN UPPER PORTION AT A CORRESPONDING UPPER LEVEL VERTICALLY SPACED FROM SAID LOWER LEVEL, SAID CONVEYOR MEANS HAVING AN UPWARDLY SLANTING DUMPER END PORTION EXTENDING THEREFROM AT SAID LOWER LEVEL TO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID DUMPER END SUPPORT MEANS AT SAID UPPER LEVEL WHEREBY TO DUMP THEREAT CONVEYED MATERIAL FROM SAID DUMPER END PORTION, AND SAID GUIDE MEANS HAVING A FORWARDLY DIRECTED GUIDE END PORTION EXTENDING THEREFROM SEPARATELY FROM SAID UPWARDLY SLANTING DUMPER END PORTION AND ALONG SAID LOWER LEVEL TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID DUMPER END SUPPORT MEANS. 